Strangers
by Shikuro-kun
Summary: Naoto Shirogane is a hard-boiled detective who rarely takes a break from her duties. One night, her friend whisks her away to enjoy the wonders of Tokyo's night life, where she then finds a dangerous yet beautiful stranger. Naoto x Rise


- Disclaimer: Persona 4 characters do not belong to me.

- Warning: Contains suggested themes.

* * *

Back in Tokyo, high above the city, the day was nearing its end as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon and the moon took its place. It was a Friday night and while everyone at the Police Department had left work early, Naoto sat in her office, busily reading through unfiled reports.

With the building growing eerily quiet, she sighed heavily, exhausted for having read so many papers in one day. She leaned back and stretched her arms upwards, refreshed as her muscles rippled and bones snapped, relieving the tension that was built up over hours sitting down.

The door to her office opened unexpectantly and she found a familiar visitor standing in view. "Always the workaholic, I see."

Naoto set the papers aside into their manila folders and set them on a tray to be taken care of later. "I didn't have a choice. No one else would do them." She watched the woman walk up to her slowly, always so observant of her surroundings.

"Don't you ever take a day off? You're always so busy with work." She looked down at the pile of papers and folders stacked on the desk. They were about 2 inches tall, more than she would've preferred in a single week.

"Touko, what are you really here for?" Naoto leaned on her desk, her steel grey eyes searching her best friend's for a single reason.

"Believe it or not, I came here to take you out. You've been working none stop, I'm starting to grow a little worried." Her ponytail lolled to the side as she set a palm onto the wooden furniture, leaning close to the Detective Prince.

"I'm fine. I-"

"Shh!" Touko's finger rested on Naoto's lips, silencing the young detective in her seat. "No excuses, you're coming with me whether you like it or not."

"And if I refuse?" Naoto pulled back, ever so careful to get to close to her friend.

Touko found herself grinning mischievously at the Detective Prince. She would get her to leave work one way or another.

* * *

Blackmail was what usually worked in Touko's favor and Naoto wished she could've found a way out of this one. "Oh, don't be upset!" The brunette wrapped an arm around her friend, a gleeful smile shining upon her face as they walked down the busy streets.

"Where are we going? You haven't even told me our destination." Naoto was growing warmer by the second around Touko's arm. It was all so pleasant before Winter's winds hit her flat in the face with a frosty breeze.

"You'll see." They made a sharp turn on the next intersection and arrived at what seemed to be a club. People littered the sidewalk as bright lights flashed overhead. They walked in and out of the compound, some notably happier than others.

"Uh..." Naoto stopped in her tracks with Touko in tow.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" The brunette took the Detective Prince by the hand as they milled through crowds of people, the smell of alcohol afloat as they made their way to the bar.

Naoto was already old enough to drink, but she wasn't very fond of it. The only times she drank were formal parties or friendly kickbacks with Touko. She looked around, uneasy as people pushed and pulled against one another, some desperate to find enlightened company.

"Here," Touko handed Naoto a single shot, one so small it would've only taken a single swig to consume. "Bottoms up!"

"I don't think I should-" Before she knew it, Touko tipped the glass into her mouth and she was forced to drink the contents within. It took her by surprise and she coughed to dispel the unpleasant surge that burned deep in her throat.

"Seriously Naoto, you need to live a little." A hand found the detective's back and she staggered forward, pressing hard against the bar's counter. "Relax, at least for tonight."

Frankly, Naoto felt quite the opposite way. She wasn't big with crowds, more so, spending nights out in the city. "I'm going to dance a little, do you want to come?" The music roared through the room and Touko pressed her lips close to Naoto's ear. She shook her head to say no, and the brunette shrugged off the response. "Don't get too lonely without me, okay?" Before disappearing into the sea of adults, Touko gave Naoto a wink and a brief kiss on the cheek.

The lights were too dark to highlight her rosied expression, but even Naoto felt compelled to turn and hide her face. As the atmosphere grew humid, she slipped out of her jacket and loosened her tie. It was too hot to do much of anything, so she sat on a vacant seat by the bar. Little did she know that upon sitting down, she'd already attracted quite a few stares from the women on site.

It must've been her presentation which seemed to mislead many people, especially women, into assuming that she was male. Clad in varied dress shirts and dapperly formal attire, it was a common error, in which she'd be mistaken for a perfect trap. Arguably, she preferred dressing this way since it gave her much more mobility to suit the demands in her workplace. In her opinion, she could never chase down criminals in a silly skirt or dress.

Naoto propped her elbows onto the counter as she watched the bartender work tirelessly through each of the customer's demands. The man who sat beside the Detective Prince left his chair to venture off into the dance floor. She ran a hand through her hair as a new woman took the seat.

"I'll have a cosmopolitan." Naoto looked over to the girl beside her, whose brown hair cascaded nicely along her neck. She'd never thought about growing her hair that long, seeing as to how it would've been difficult to maintain.

When the bartender pushed her the drink, it was frothy and bright pink, served in a cocktail glass. She took a generous sip and set it down on the counter, before turning towards Naoto who was unknowingly watching her the entire time. "Hey"

Time seemed to slow as the Detective Prince's eyes widened. She had been staring at the girl for a few minutes, which begged her to question why she was so intrigued by her hair. Naoto replied with a modest, silent wave.

"Not much of a talker, I see." She grinned to herself for finding such quiet company. "Did you come here alone?"

"No, with a friend." Naoto's voice was too low to hear as the music overpowered her words.

"What?" She sat closer, leaning in until their cheeks connected.

"I'm here with a friend." There was a distinctly pleasant scent that came from the girl's neck and body. It was unusual when she found it favorable, since she loathed the smell of powerful perfumes.

"And she just left you here?" When Naoto nodded ever so slowly, the girl couldn't believe it. "I don't buy it. I mean, why would they leave someone as cute as you!" She took another sip from her glass, now half-full.

It was about time for things to spiral downwards. Even if Naoto was in fact, dense with romantic interactions, she knew the girl had already commited a grave mistake. "I should go-"

"Oh, please don't leave!" The girl took Naoto's hand instinctively, paying no heed to what personal space meant. "Did I say something wrong?" She didn't mean to scare her off and now, she was desperate to have Naoto back. "I'm sorry if I did."

Naoto pitied her for a brief moment. There was no way this would turn out well if she continued to indulge the girl.

"I'll buy you a drink, it's on me." She offered openly.

The lights flashed for a quick second, but it was more than enough for Naoto to appreciate how beautiful the girl was. She had a cute, petite face and smoldering brown eyes. Why did she always attract such beautiful girls?

Before Naoto could respond, the girl had already placed an order and the alcoholic beverage was waiting patiently on the counter to drink. It would've been rude of her to leave after the girl had paid for it, so Naoto walked back to take her seat. For once, she would indulge the girl a little more.

* * *

After downing the bottle of beer, Naoto pushed it aside, her cheeks slightly rosied for drinking half of its contents. The alcohol hadn't affected her too much, or at least not compared to her new partner.

The brunette sipped yet another beverage, a frozen margarita and leaned closely to Naoto. She was on her second drink while the Detecive Prince was still on her first. "I don't think you've told me your name yet." The girl was smiling gleefully, a clear indication that she didn't tolerate alcohol too well.

"It's Naoto. Naoto Shirogane."

"Naoto, hmm~" the brunette twirled a strand of her copper hair between her fingers, examining her partner closely.

"And you are...?" She felt the girl resting her hand ontop of hers. Personal space meant nothing to her at all.

"Don't you know who I am?"

Naoto found herself confused. "Am I supposed to know?" She was sure she'd never met this girl before.

"You know, on the jumbo screens." She mapped out what would've been a huge invisible rectangle with her hands. When Naoto didn't get the clue, she continued with her hints. "I'm all over Tokyo, how could you not know who I am?"

Naoto shook her head, unable to guess who this person was. The brunette eventually grew upset eyed Naoto with what would've been the meanest, dangerous look. "I'm Rise Kujikawa, one of Japan's famed idols? How could you miss that?"

'Oh, so that's what she was referring to.' Naoto had only seen a handful of commercials with the girl, most in racy bikinis to endorse diet products. She was always sporting her signature pigtails so meeting her with a different hairstyle was unexpected. "So I'm actually talking and drinking with a celebrity." Naoto laughed at herself lightly. This wasn't how she imagined her night to go.

"You should feel honored!" Rise boasted proudly. When Naoto finished another sip from her bottle, the brunette decided to question her. "So, Naoto Shirogane, what do you work as?"

"I'm a private investigator." She spoke casually about her occupation, proud that she came from a line of well-known detectives.

"Oh, so you solve crimes." Rise found great interest in this Naoto Shirogane. "Like on the TV shows."

"Yes."

"Isn't it dangerous?" Rise poked at the subject, thoroughy intrigued in the matter. She didn't look too inebriated at the moment and Naoto took it as a good sign.

"Yes."

"Have you gotten shot?" Rise's eyebrows perched upwards and Naoto couldn't help but grin.

"Yes, more than once."

Rise bit her bottom lip, growing nervous as her heart began to race. She was undeniably attracted to this blue haired sleuth. "That's so...hot."

Naoto's ears flushed red as Rise watched her with dreamy, hazed eyes. The alcohol had finally reached the idol and was now taking a turn for the worst.

No amount of restraints would've stopped Rise as she leaned in and pressed her lips against Naoto's. The attraction was greater than she thought, or maybe it was the alcohol working through her body. Whatever the case, she closed her eyes in ecstasy, sinking into the depths of this one, brief kiss.

Naoto pulled away abruptly, shocked by Rise's bold stunt. It was pleasant at first but she wasn't too far gone to realize what was really happening. "I-I have to go." She left her seat and took off, headed for the club's exit.

Rise felt her head pulsate as she jumped off and caught her balance. Naoto was so quick to leave that she barely had any time to think through what had just happened. "Naoto!" She pushed past the sea of people to chase the Detective Prince.

The night had only grown colder as Naoto stepped out for a breather. Thankfully, the alcohol did much to keep her warm for the first few minutes. "That was a terrible idea." She mumbled to herself.

"Naoto?" Rise stepped out into the cold, freezing weather, blindly searching for the blue haired detective. There were a fair amount of people who stood outside for a smoke, making it a challenge to find her lost company. Her heels clacked on the pavement before a tall man stood in her way.

"Oh hey, you look like a pretty girl." She was much shorter than the man and he didn't seem to be sober.

She moved forward only to be blocked by the same man. "Didn't you hear me?" He held her by the wrist forcefully and she tried to pull away from his grasp.

"Let go of me!" Rise angrily protested. Everyone outside seemed to be busy, while the others were high off the atmosphere. "Let go of me!"

Naoto turned an ear to find Rise in view, but what greeted her was something entirely unacceptable. She stormed off towards her direction, and shook the man from behind.

"What?" When he turned to find Naoto's unimpressive height, he stifled an amused laugh. The Detective Price was no taller than Rise Kujikawa.

"It seems you've been causing some trouble. This girl clearly doesn't appreciate your company." Naoto stepped back as the man released Rise.

"Naoto-kun" the copper haired idol watched the man stalk up to the detective prince. Something bad was going to happen, that much she knew.

"And you are?"

"Naoto Shirogane, Tokyo PD, private investigator." She flashed her badge in front of the man who then swatted her hand away.

"What are you going to do about it, Naoto Shirogane?" He crossed his arms looking twice as menacing as before.

"I want you to leave her alone." Despite her small stature, Naoto wasn't the least bit afraid of the man. She'd gone against countless enemies who were much more lethal than the one standing before her.

"Why don't you try." He threw a fist at Naoto as she happened to skirt around the taller man. Her small frame worked in her favor as she was swifter and more agile than he was. Not wanting to participate in a fist fight, she drew her hand gun and directed it at the small of his back. It was concealed well enough for the others not to notice.

"Walk away or I'll charge you with assault." Naoto was feeling oddly generous tonight. When the man shook his head vigorously, the Detective Prince pushed him off as he stammered forward and ran down the street.

As Naoto watched the man run a safe distance, she found Rise shaking her shoulders, then closing in for a hug. "That was...wow!" Beyond her dress shirt she could feel the girl's chest beating rapidly fast, or perhaps that was hers. They attracted a few stares and Naoto steadied the young idol with her hands.

"You should be more cautious around your surroundings." Naoto said dryly.

"And you shouldn't have run away so quickly!" Rise argued at the detective. She found herself magnetically drawn to her hero and before Naoto could do anything, she stole a kiss, this time more passionate than the first.

"Stop-" Rise opened her eyes, disappointed when Naoto withdrew yet again. This was certainly too much for one night. "You need to stop kissing me."

"What's wrong? Do you not like it?"

Rise raised an eybrow, it wasn't like she was doing anything wrong. Okay, maybe she was taking advantage of Naoto a little too much. "Wait, are you...?"

"...What? No!" Naoto shook her hands immediately, knowing exactly what conclusion Rise jumped into. "You need to stop kissing me because I'm not male."

It took more than a second for Rise to register what Naoto had just said. "O-Oh"

The Detective Prince ran a hand through her blue, shaggy hair. This was turning out to be one hell of a night. When Rise failed to say anything more, she exhaled deeply."Aren't you going to say something?"

"Am I supposed to?" Rise was now frowning, leaving Naoto to feel as confused as ever.

The Detective Prince simply shook her head. Before this whole ordeal they were sitting in the bar and Rise had too much to drink. There was no way she would take this so lightly had she been sober.

"Kujikawa-san there you are!" Both turned to find a man in a spiffy business suit and coat. If Rise's frown could sink any lower, it did. "Kujikawa san, we've been looking all over for you. You need to head back and rest, you've got a busy schedule set for tomorrow morning."

Rise released a whine and series of complaints at her manager. "Can't I just have fun for one night!" She ran back to Naoto, linking arms with the young detective for warmth.

"Kujikawa-san, I think you should listen to your manager." She could smell the scent of alcohol overpowering her perfume. With Rise in this state, it was assuring to know that people looked out for her.

"But I don't want to!" Rise began pounding her fist at Naoto. She sounded just like a child crying for her toys. "I want to spend more time with you, Naoto-kun!"

"Kujikawa-san," her manager pleaded, it was well into the night and there was much to be done tomorrow morning.

When Naoto was sure that Rise would not listen to her manager, she held the girl by each wrist, eyeing her with a stern, confident gaze. No words came, but it silenced the brunette effectively.

"Promise me one thing Naoto-kun." For whatever time she had, Rise spoke with genuine sincerity, her childish ramblings dispersed. "That we'll meet again."

Naoto wasn't interested in spending more time with a crazed idol who couldn't tolerate her alcohol. However, she did admit that in a way, her company was a nice change of pace.

"Naoto-kun?" Rise pulled at the detective's collar. Even after her truthful confession, she didn't regret the kiss. Speaking the truth took courage and Naoto had a lot of it. There weren't many people she could trust in the TV business ans she was sure that maybe, with time,they could grow to be good friends.

"I hope you know that the odds of us meeting again are quite slim." Naoto added wisely.

"Which is why I already slipped my number into your pocket." The detective searched her pocket to find a small piece of paper with a few written numbers. Rise Kujikawa was a charming and conniving girl. She was not to be taken lightly.

Rise's manager indicated the time, signalling that they should leave soon. The brunette grumbled a few words to herself before leaning onto Naoto and planting a quick kiss on her cheek. "You better call me."

"And if I don't?" Naoto crossed her arms as Rise began to back away.

"...I'm sure you can use your imagination." Rise Kujikawa waved goodbye as her manager escorted her down the street and into a black vehicle.

As she watched the famed idol disappear, Naoto held the scrap of paper in her hand. It wasn't like she was planning on seeing Rise Kujikawa again. Besides, doing so would only bring her trouble - the brunette could be quite a handful.

The scrap of paper blew gently between her fingers before it finally slipped away, into the starry, night sky. Naoto looked up as people continued to shuffle about in and out of the club. She exhaled a faint puff of air, before reaching for her cell phone.

She'd already memorized the number by heart.

* * *

Thanks for reading


End file.
